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Considering the character of your paper, there is much in your views of the correspondence it should possess for this place; but I fear it is not easy to obtain. It requires, I do not say high, but peculiar qualifications, that is, accuracy, access to authentic sources of information, & business habits & expressions. I speak now of the business letter for which you ask. I will think of it. Perhaps in consideration of their brevity & absence of men party speculation, in a word, their matter of past character, I may undertake their letter myself; but as to this I will reflect further & let you know the result.

The other class of letters may be more readily compressed a few weeks hence, when the portion & qualities of different members came to be generally understood; but as this second class of letters would of necessity be persona, & so of a more questionable nature, it ought distinctly to appear that they emanate from a different source

Perhaps the way to arrange it will be, to have a regular business letter weekly, with an extra where occasion requires; & to take

Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives

Language

eng

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For information on copyright or permission, please contact Grand Valley State University Special Collections: collections@gvsu.edu

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Local collection

Abraham Lincoln, Civil War and Slavery

Transcript

[Page 1]

/Private/

Washington Dec. 13. 1835

Dear Sir:

Considering the character of your paper, there is much in your views of the correspondence it should possess for this place; but I fear it is not easy to obtain. It requires, I do not say high, but peculiar qualifications, that is, accuracy, access to authentic sources of information, & business habits & expressions. I speak now of the business letter for which you ask. I will think of it. Perhaps in consideration of their brevity & absence of men party speculation, in a word, their matter of past character, I may undertake their letter myself; but as to this I will reflect further & let you know the result.

The other class of letters may be more readily compressed a few weeks hence, when the portion & qualities of different members came to be generally understood; but as this second class of letters would of necessity be persona, & so of a more questionable nature, it ought distinctly to appear that they emanate from a different source

Perhaps the way to arrange it will be, to have a regular business letter weekly, with an extra where occasion requires; & to take